If you’re using MailerLite and sharing affiliate links in your emails, this is something you really need to be aware of.
Because I’ll be honest… I didn’t know this either.
And I’ve been using MailerLite for years.
My Recent Experience With MailerLite
I was planning to send a simple email to my list called something along the lines of “Tools I Use and Recommend”.
It was meant to share a collection of tools, plugins and platforms I genuinely use in my own business and recommend to others. Some of those links were affiliate links.
I created the email by cloning a previous email I had already sent, then customised the content with the relevant details for the tools I wanted to recommend.
I scheduled the email, checked it in preview before it was due to go out, and everything looked fine.
But when the email was due to be received, something strange happened.
My subscribers received a second copy of a previous email instead. The subject line had changed, but the actual content inside the email had reverted back to the older email I had cloned.
It was clearly a glitch, but not one I could explain. So I contacted MailerLite support to investigate what had happened.
The Unexpected Discovery
While MailerLite support was looking into the issue, they brought something to my attention that I genuinely did not know.
You are not allowed to use MailerLite for affiliate marketing emails.
In their Terms of Use, under Section 9.1 Appropriate Content, MailerLite states that affiliate marketing is not allowed.
This means you cannot send emails that include affiliate links promoting other people’s products, programs, tools or services.
MailerLite support also confirmed that you can promote your own products and your own business, but not products from other businesses using affiliate links.
Suggested image placement: Add your screenshot of the MailerLite support conversation here.
Why This Matters for Small Business Owners
This is a big one for anyone who is a partner, affiliate, coach, course creator, service provider or online business owner.
If you’ve ever promoted a mentor’s program, shared your favourite business tools, recommended WordPress plugins, or included affiliate links in a newsletter, there’s a chance you may have unknowingly breached MailerLite’s terms.
I know I have.
I’ve personally been an affiliate for a few programs over the years. I’ve also shared my experience with WordPress tools, plugins and platforms I genuinely use and recommend.
Affiliate marketing can be a great way to generate semi-passive income, especially when you are recommending tools you already know, use and trust.
But if you are using MailerLite, you need to be careful about how you share those links.
Can You Still Do Affiliate Marketing?
Yes, you can still do affiliate marketing.
But you may need to change the way you share your affiliate links.
Instead of placing affiliate links directly inside your MailerLite emails, a better approach is to create content on your own website and direct people there.
The Workaround: Use Your WordPress Website
The simplest workaround is this:
Email your subscribers and send them to a blog post, resource page or sales page on your own WordPress website.
For example, instead of sending an email filled with affiliate links, you could create a blog post called “My Favourite WordPress Tools for Small Business Owners”.
Inside that blog post, you can explain what each tool does, why you use it, who it is best suited for, and include your affiliate links there.
Then your MailerLite email can simply invite people to read the blog post.
Why This Is Actually a Better Strategy
This approach is not just about staying on the right side of MailerLite’s terms.
It is also better for your business.
- It sends more traffic to your website.
- It gives your audience more context before they click.
- It helps build trust because you can explain your experience properly.
- It gives your content a longer shelf life than a single email.
- It can support your SEO over time.
So instead of seeing this as a restriction, it can actually be an opportunity.
You get to create helpful content, build authority, and guide your audience to make more informed decisions.
What I’ll Be Doing Differently
Going forward, I’ll still share tools, plugins and resources I genuinely recommend.
But I’ll be doing it differently.
Rather than adding affiliate links directly into my MailerLite emails, I’ll create blog posts or dedicated resource pages on my own WordPress website.
Then I’ll use my emails to invite people to read, learn more and make their own decision from there.
It is a simple shift, but an important one.
A Reminder If You Use MailerLite
If you are using MailerLite, take a moment to review your own email content.
Check whether you have affiliate links inside your automations, newsletters, welcome sequences or promotional emails.
You may have done it without realising it was an issue.
I certainly did.
This is not about panic or shame. It is about being aware, making small adjustments, and protecting the email marketing system you have worked hard to build.
Final Thoughts
This experience was a real eye-opener for me.
I have used MailerLite for many years and officially moved onto a paid account in 2021 when I went over my monthly email quota during a launch.
Even with that experience, I still did not realise affiliate links were an issue.
So if this is news to you too, you are definitely not alone.
The good news is there is a simple workaround: use your WordPress website as the home for your recommendations, then use your emails to guide people there.
It keeps your email content cleaner, sends more traffic to your website, and helps build know, like and trust with your audience.
If you need help connecting your WordPress website and MailerLite in a way that works for your business, you can Book a 1:1 WordPress Clarity Call.
